Mississippi State has been through a grind over its last three games taking two games into overtime and another going down to the buzzer to decide the winner.

Things will not get any easier tonight as the Bulldogs host Alabama at 8 p.m. in a rematch from their Jan. 23 meeting. The Crimson Tide handed MSU their first conference loss that day 62-57 at Coleman Coliseum.

The Bulldogs would like nothing more than to turn the tables and extend their winning streak to five games against Alabama in Starkville. State has won six of the last nine meetings between the two schools but the Tide have taken the last two. Alabama leads the series 112-71.

Mississippi State is currently in first place in the SEC West with a 7-5 record in conference play and 19-8 overall.

The Bulldogs are shooting 43.2-percent from the floor and averaging 72.9 points per game. MSU is also third in the league from downtown draining 36-percent making over nine treys a game. They continue to lead the Southeastern Conference in most defensive categories including scoring defense (63.1), field goal percentage defense (37.2%), blocked shots (7.96), defensive rebounds (29.48) and defensive rebound percentage (70.1%).